PLANNING A SUCCESSFUL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK POSTER CONTEST
BY CHERI STANLEY
A Fire Prevention Week poster contest in local schools can be enlightening for the children and rewarding for fire department members. The success of the contest, though, is directly related to the quality of the planning. It`s a good idea to begin by finding sponsors, writing strict contest rules, properly marketing the contest with the schools, selecting objective poster judges, purchasing appropriate prizes, and finishing with an inspirational awards ceremony. Then, as you complete this year`s contest, immediately begin planning for next year`s. This article addresses each step of the planning process.
PROCURING FUNDS
Private donations are the sole source of funding for the Arvada (CO) Fire Protection District`s Fire Prevention Week contest. We begin fundraising activities almost one year before the annual event. Many corporations need this amount of time to arrange contributions through a donations committee or to place a line item in their annual budget.
We typically send twice the number of donation requests that we need to prospective donors to generate enough money for several major prizes. Twenty 1993 poster contest letters generated about $2,500 in cash and prizes from 10 sponsors. A gift of money is not the only theme of our request. The 1993 donations included two five-pound chocolate bars, corporate T-shirts, free food certificates, sweatshirts, stereos, and picture frames for poster photos (we keep all the original posters for various purposes).
As donations arrive, each corporate sponsor immediately receives a special “thank-you” letter. We keep all sponsors apprised of the contest`s progress and all scheduled activities including the contest awards ceremony and big finale during Fire Prevention Week (to which they are invited). A full-page ad is purchased in the local paper announcing the contest winners, their home schools, and corporate sponsors (with logos). We mail each sponsor the published notice with a final note of thanks. Our strategy is to deluge contributors with notes and letters so they do not feel forgotten after making an initial donation. This strategy pays big dividends–several sponsors now make sizable, annual poster contest donations without initial fire department contact.
APPROACHING THE SCHOOL
Remember, classroom teachers typically are busy, especially at the beginning of the school year, so approaching your target schools and classroom teachers shortly after the school year begins may not work. We notify each school principal and the art teacher about our contest before the end of a school year, asking each to reserve contest time at the beginning of the next school year. Then, as school begins again in mid- August, the official poster contest announcement and rules are hand-delivered. We also drop a few hints about the contest to PTA parents and suggest they subtly lobby the art teachers to participate. Of the 23 schools we contacted, about 40 percent participated. However, each year that number increases. We remind the teachers that all posters must be completed two weeks before Fire Prevention Week. This allows time to arrange for judges, notify winners, purchase appropriate prizes (based on gender), and schedule the grand finale presentation.
SELECTING JUDGES
To eliminate even the appearance of favoritism, we use bona fide art judges graciously provided by the local Fine Arts Center. Each judge receives a copy of the contest rules (see box on page 110) and a private, spacious room free of disruptions or unsolicited second opinions. The judges choose a first-, second-, and third-place winner and one grand-prize winner from each school. Winners are notified in person by fire department members and invited to the awards ceremonies. Judges also are invited to attend. Judges receive public acknowledgment for their special contribution, a thank-you card, and a gift certificate to a restaurant.
AWARDING PRIZES
For fire department members, the most rewarding part of the contest is hand-delivering notification letters to winners (right in the classroom). We start the notification process with the school principals. They typically accompany our firefighters (often with a camera) when delivering the notification letters.
The contest`s grand finale is the awards ceremony, held at our training center amphitheater during Fire Prevention Week. Each winner`s entire family is invited to attend. Sponsors, Arvada board members, the fire chief and staff, and judges receive invitations to the ceremony as well. An RSVP ensures sufficient space and refreshments.
The presentation, kept to 30 minutes maximum, begins with a short introduction of dignitaries, sponsors, and judges. Each child then is called forward to receive a prize and shake the hand of a representative from the corporate sponsor who donated the funds for that prize. Mountain bikes and safety helmets are awarded as the grand prize. Stereos, sweatshirts with the poster contest logo on the front and a fire truck on the back, and T-shirts are awarded for first-, second-, and third-place prizes respectively. Teachers tell us that the kids love to wear the sweatshirts to school, which promotes year-round word-of-mouth contest advertising. One corporate sponsor, a picture frame company, matted and framed 8- ¥ 10-inch photos of the winning posters. Each winner receives a framed photo during the awards ceremony.
The grand finale comes when the traveling trophy is presented to the school with the largest participation per enrollment. Each year, the winning school`s name is engraved on the brass plate. One school won the trophy two consecutive years with 73 percent of its students participating in the poster contest. Last year an enthusiastic art teacher facilitated 100-percent participation from her school.
Thirty-two winners brought 150 friends and relatives to the 1993 festivities, taxing the occupancy load of our training facility. After the presentation ceremonies, one proud parent said, “This is the first time in five years that my son has been commended for an activity other than sports.”
YEAR-ROUND POSTER USES
All submitted posters become the property of our department. We then use them for other fire- and life-safety activities. For example, the winning posters are displayed in each fire station during our Fire Prevention Week open house. And, after two fires (one near fatal) involving children playing with matches and apartments with nonworking smoke detectors, we purchased space on bus benches at 10 different locations throughout the Arvada Fire Protection District and placed images of winning posters with these themes. We included an announcement about the fire department`s free smoke-detector program as well. Inquiries immediately increased after the benches had been painted.
LESSONS LEARNED
Send donation requests early in the budget year and send several times the number of requests needed to prospective donors to produce the desired amount of prizes or funds.
To maintain credibility, publish contest rules including a timetable, and strictly adhere to the rules. Use judges from outside the fire department.
The logistics of returning hundreds of posters to the proper schools and students are enormous. Announce that all posters become fire department property as part of the official rules. We do, however, provide winners with a matted and framed 8- ¥ 10-inch photo of their winning poster.
Save the original posters for other uses like bus-bench advertising, displays in the fire stations or headquarters, or fire- and life-safety brochures.
Some principals are ruthless gatekeepers, so be prepared to diplomatically approach the schools early in the academic year. Consider lobbying the art teachers and PTA as well.
Start at least one year ahead with corporate sponsors. Allow them time to place the donation in the budget or present the request to a committee that may meet only once or twice per year. Don`t forget “thank-you” letters and to invite sponsors to the awards ceremonies.
Provide appropriate prizes of sufficient value to inspire word-of-mouth advertising among the children. Bicycles and imprinted shirts are big hits.
Limit the participating grades to a manageable number–grades one, two, and three, for example. n
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All submitted posters become fire department property to be used for other fire- and life-safety activities. For example, after two fires–involving children playing with matches and nonworking smoke detectors–the department purchased advertising space on area bus benches to display winning posters with those themes. (Photo by author.)
SAMPLE FIRE PREVENTION POSTER CONTEST RULES
1. Minimum size entry is 812 ¥ 11 inches. Maximum size is a single sheet of poster board.
2. Students must clearly print their name, grade, teacher`s name, and school name on the back of each poster.
3. All posters must be completed by Tuesday, September 20, at 12 p.m.
4. Posters will be judged by a special art panel for creativity with a fire prevention theme. All pictures without a theme will be automatically disqualified.
5. Prizes will be awarded during Fire Prevention Week in October.
6. A traveling Fire Prevention Trophy will be awarded to the school with the highest percentage of poster entries based on enrollment.
SAMPLE SAFETY POSTER IDEAS
Keep the attic free from combustibles such as old newspapers and magazines.
Install smoke detectors on each level of the home and check them.
Always use a fireplace screen.
Never overload electrical outlets.
Never store gasoline inside the home.
Store matches and lighters out of the reach of small children.
Have your chimney cleaned and/or heating system inspected annually.
Store paints, thinners, and other flammable liquids in original containers, away from heat, sparks, and flame.
Practice fire safety when cooking.
Never smoke in bed.
Display large house numbers that the fire department can see easily.
Be sure all smoking materials are fully extinguished and disposed of carefully.
Take extra care in heating your home–particularly if space heaters are being used.
Make sure there are two clear ways out of every room.
CHERI STANLEY is the public education specialist for the Arvada (CO) Fire Protection District. She has 13 years of fire service experience as a dispatcher and educator.
